Lamp shade



July 15, 1969 M. GLUSCHKIN LAMP SHADE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 15, 1967 JANE/0'08 M/scm muse/mm;

.5 64s imam/gm July 15, 1969 M. GLUSCHKIN I 3,456,106

LAMP SHADE Filed Nov. 15, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jm EA/me ,Mrsc/lfi? 5360623 061116 United States Patent 3,456,106 LAMP SHADE Mischa Gluschkin, 2522 Glen Green, Los Angeles, Calif. 90028 Filed Nov. 15, 1967, Ser. No. 683,302 Int. Cl. F21v 1/22 U.S. Cl. 240108 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A lamp shade assembly has a rigid primary element of frusto-conical or frusto-py-ramidal configuration formed from a transparent or translucent material and mountable upon a lamp, together with a transparent or translucent secondary element of complementary form and closely fitting the inside or outside surface of the primary element with capacity to permit the insertion between the elements of decorative or information carrying members which may be transilluminated by the light from the lamp.

Background of the invention Field of the inventi0n.The field of the invention relates to translucent lamp shades.

Summary of the invention The objective of the invention is to provide a translucent lamp shade which is capable of being varied in appearance at will by the user, by insertion between the two membrane components of the wall structure of the shade of other translucent materials carrying different designs or carrying signs or other information media. Moreover, the interchangeable components may have the ornamentation or other material permanently or erasably printed on surfaces thereof. Still another aspect of the invention is the provision of a simplified, cantilever type, support means attachable to the top ring of the primary component and affording the mounting means for the shade on a lamp base.

Brief description of the drawings The accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, illustrate certain presently preferred embodiments of the invention, and in said drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a typical lamp having a shade in which a first presently preferred embodiment of the invention is incorporated;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged scale, medial, vertical, sectional view of a shade shown in FIGURE 1 and the attachment thereof to the lamp shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged scale, fragmentary section taken on the line 33 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged scale, fragmentary, sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged scale, fragmentary, sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 6 is an exploded view of the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGURES 1-5;

FIGURE 7 is an exploded view of a second presently preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 88 of FIGURE 7; and

FIGURE 9 is a perspective view of an alternative form of secondary element usable in either of the disclosed embodiments of the invention.

Detailed description of preferred embodiment Refer-ring to the drawings and particularly to FIG- URES l and 2, there is shown a lamp having a base A, carrying socket means B, in which a light bulb C is carried, the attachment of said socket means through the base serving also to secure the base member D of a shade supporting harp E, comp-rising members extending up wardly on each side of the bulb and terminating in an upwardly extending threaded stud F, disposed in the vertical center line of the lamp on which a shade is mounted and secured by a nut element G.

Both illustrated embodiments of the invention employ the, same primary element, and accordingly, that element will be described first. The illustrated primary element 1 comprises a body member 2 formed from a sheet of resiliently bendable plastic which may be either trans parent or translucent, the sheet being of such planar configuration as to be capable of being bent into the illustrated frusto-conical form, the end edges being joined by adhesive or other means in a seam 3. If desired, particularly if the size of the shade or the angle of the cone or other consideration makes it desirable, the body can, of course, be formed in two or more members. The lower, or larger, end of the body member is provided with a reinforcement comprising a U-shaped metal strip 4 comprising upwardly extending legs between which a lower edge of the body member is received, the strip then being rolled or otherwise caused to grip the body member. If desired, the exterior surface of the reinforcing member can carry ornamental material as, for example, a braid 4 adhered or otherwise secured thereto.

The upper end of the body member is similarly reinforced with a corresponding ring of U-shaped metal 5 and this upper reinforcing member carries a cantilever bracket arm 6 extending radially over the axial line of the body member and terminating in an opening 7 in which the mounting stud F of the lamp is received, said arm preferably first extending inwardly and diagonally downwardly in a run 8 and thence extending laterally in a run 9 to the distal, stud-engaging end thereof, to afford concealment from view of the supporting arm. If desired, the outer face of the ring 5 may be provided with ornamentation as indicated at 5'.

Referring next specifically to FIGURES 1-6, the secondary element 10 of the first embodiment comprises a sheet of somewhat flexible and resilient plastic, having a planar contour permitting it to be bent to form a frustoconical member joined along a seam line 11 of such size as to fit over the exterior surface of the body member 2, with the lower edge 12 thereof resting on the upper edge of the outer limb of the lower reinforcing member 4 as best shown in FIGURE 5, and with the upper edge 13 thereof correspondingly fitting under the lower end of the outer limb of the upper reinforcing member 5, as shown in FIGURE 3. As in the case of the body member 2, if more convenient for any reason, the secondary element can, of course, be formed of a plurality of sections joined together.

This secondary member acts as a light diffusing element and the separability of the primary and secondary member permits the insertion therebetween of any desired decoration printed on thin translucent or transparent flexible sheet material such as paper, plastic, or cloth, as indicated at 14, with resultant creation of a desired decora tive effect on the lamp shade when the shade is illuminated, the transparency of the outer or secondary member serving to conceal or at least substantially subdue the ornamentation thus provided when the shade is not subject to illumination by the lamp. It will be understood that while the insert here shown is rectangular in form, the shape or the number of such inserts may be of any desired configuration within the area defined by the juxtaposed faces of the body member 2 and the secondary element 10. The subject matter of the insert is not limited to decorative material and may be informative matter, such as advertisements, directories, menus, schedules, etc.,

and particularly those which are subject to frequent change. All that is required is to lift the secondary member sufiiciently to effect the removal and substitution of the inserted material and then to drop the secondary element back into position on the primary element. The insert is held in its desired position solely by the frictional interengagement of both faces of the insert with the juxtaposed surfaces of the primary and secondary elements thus eliminating the need for tape or other adhesive means to locate the material thus to be displayed. Moreover, this frictional gripping of the insert elements facilitates the interchanging of inserted material. When a lamp shade embodying this invention is thus used for utilitarian purposes, it provides the equivalent of a bulletin board while blending with the desired decor of the area in which the lamp is located.

Referring next to FIGURES 7 and 8, a second embodiment of the invention is shown, comprising a secondary element 15 of the same general characteristics as the secondary element 10 but which is adapted to fit on the inner face of the body member 2. As in the case of the secondary element 10, this secondary member is preferably formed from a sheet of translucent plastic of such planar contour as can be bent into the desired frustoconical configuration complementary to the inner surface of the body member 2, the ends of said second sheet being joined at a seam line 16. Where desired, the secondary element is supported in the body member by snap-in engagement of the lower end 17 thereof over the upper edge of the inner limb of the lower reinforcing member 4 as shown in FIGURE 8, with the upper edge 18 disposed under the lower edge of the inner limb of the upper reinforcing member 5. This embodiment of the invention is to be preferred where the shade is used to display fine detail media such as typewritten bulletins, schedules, and the like, and in such cases, the body member 2 is formed from transparent material, the member 16 then being employed as a light diffuser. As in the first embodiment, one or more translucent inserts as indicated at 19 in FIGURE 7 may be placed between the primary and secondary element for display upon being illuminated by the lamp.

Referring finally to FIGURE 9, there is shown that secondary element 20, whether employed on the inside or outside of the body member 2, may have one or both surfaces thereof carrying the ornamentation or information media printed or adhered thereon to provide a more permanent display means while retaining the characteristic of changeability. Preferably, such material would be applied to the surface of the secondary element which would be juxtaposed to the body member 2 and, as previously noted, the application of the media to the surface of the secondary element can be either in permanent form or can be in a form that can be readily removed and reprinted.

An important aspect of the invention as it relates to lamps used primarily for decorative and illumination purposes lies in the fact that these lamp shades can be produced in great quantities in identical form with resultant reduction in manufacturing costs. The retail dealer is not obliged to carry as samples more than one shade in any particular size since the decorative motif of the shade is one which is determined by the user. The dealer may, of course, furnish a kit of designs which the purchaser may use, but a dealer is not obliged to carry a display stock of a great number of different shades each having a different ornamentation. Thus, in addition to the reduced manufacturing-costs, the invention results in a greatly reduced display stock investment for the retail dealer. Moreover, if desired the shade components may be furnished in knock down kit form leaving it for the purchaser to perform the assembly operation, it being noted that the design is such as to render this manner of merchandising a practical possibility.

While in the foregoing specification there has been described certain presently preferred embodiments of the invention, the invention is not to be deemed to be limited to the details of construction thus disclosed by way of example, and it will be understood that the invention includes as well all such changes and modifications in the parts as shall come within the purview of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A lamp shade combination comprising, a cylindrical inner member of translucent sheet material open at top and bottom, mounting means for securing the inner member to a lamp base, the material of said inner member having sufiicient stiffness to maintain its vertical form, an intermediate layer of light transmitting material with indicia appearing on the outer surface thereof wrapped around in immediate contact with and substantially covering the entire outer surface of the inner member, and an outer member of transparent material complementary in size and configuration to the inner member frictionally engaging substantially the entire outer surface of the intermediate layer, the two members and the intermediate layer being devoid of adhesive attachment and readily separable for substitution of an intermediate layer selected with reference to the content of the indicia thereon.

2. A lamp shade combination comprising, a cylindrical inner member of translucent sheet material open at top and bottom, substantially rigid reinforcement rings at top and bottom, the material having sufficient stifiness to maintain its vertical form, mounting means extending inward from said ring at the top for securing the inner member to a lamp base, an intermediate layer of light transmitting material with indicia appearing on the outer surface thereof circumscribing and in immediate contact with the entire outer surface of the inner member, and an outer member of transparent material complementary in size and configuration to the inner member frictionally engaging substantially the entire outer surface of the intermediate layer, the two members and the intermediate layer being devoid of adhesive attachment and readily separable for substitution of an intermediate layer selected with reference to the content of the indicia thereon.

3. A lamp shade combination as defined in claim 2 wherein the vertical dimension of the assembly of the inner member, intermediate layer of light transmitting material and outer member is frustoconical.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,708,714 4/ 1929 Adamaitis 240 1,728,166 9/1929 Horton 40-10654 2,819,386 1/1958 Linderoth 240l08 2,974,435 3/1961 Eschenroeder 240l08 NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner M. H. HAYES, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 40-131 

